LawOrder The Familiar Stranger
by Lantana75
Summary: While investigating a robbery and assault, Green and Cassady discover something about their victim. This is a prequal to my Law and Order SVU story. NOTE: This website misspelled Nina's last name. It is CASSADY, not Cassidy.
1. Chapter 1

August 16, 2007

"After two days of nothing, I have the feeling they're not coming back now," Ed Green said as he and Nina sat in the car, snacked, and staked out a small house. "They know we're here."

"So what do we do?," Nina Cassady asked.

"We need to rethink our strategy," Ed replied. "Let's go back to the precinct and talk to the DA."

Nina, who was in the driver's side, agreed. She put her coffee down, started the car, and put it into drive. Before she could drive away, Ed's phone rang. She kept her foot on the brake and waited as he answered his phone.

"Green," Ed answered. He listened for a moment. "We'll be right there, loo." He hung up. "Change of plans," he told Nina. "Central Park West."

Nina agreed and drove away.

In a wooded area of Central Park, a narrow footpath was all there was to lead the detectives to the body.

"Watch your step, detectives," the police sergeant said as he led the two to the area that was taped off. "We have a live victim, beaten unconscious, unsure of the timeline. She is a Caucasian female, brown eyes, brown hair. We haven't found a purse or ID yet. We're thinking this is a robbery gone bad."

"She looks about mid-thirties," Green said as he watched the paramedics working on the woman. "She's pretty."

"We found a hotel key card in her back pocket," another officer said as she handed the key card to Nina. "The Skyline Hotel."

Nina looked at the card. "That's our first stop then," she said.

"Until our victim can talk to us," Green replied. "Let's hope she's here with friends or family."

"Do people really come to New York alone?," Nina asked.

"You'd be surprised, Nina," Ed replied. "Let's go see who's registered to that room and see if anyone is with her."

At the hotel, the receptionist typed in the room number.

"It's a two-bedroom suite," she said. "Rented to Nikki Kempton and Lisa Staunton. They're both from Gurdon, Arkansas." She looked at the detectives. "I do remember them," she said. "I asked them about the light, that ghost I saw about on a TV documentary. I asked if they ever saw it. They both said they had. I thought that was so neat. I love that kind of stuff."

"OK," Ed said. "Thanks. We're going to see if one of them is here at the moment."

Ed and Nina walked towards the elevator.

"What light?," Nina asked.

"The Gurdon Light," Ed replied. "Supposedly, it's a ghost light that's been seen for several decades, since the Great Depression. They say a railroad foreman fell in the path of a train and the train decapitated him and the head was never found. Now, people say the ghost light is the man looking for his lost head. In reality, the man was killed by a worker after blaming the worker for derailing a train deliberately. There's a lot of theories of what it really could be."

"Maybe it is real," Nina said. "You don't believe ghosts may be real?"

"No way," Ed smiled. "That's too far-fetched for me."

"Come on, Ed," Nina said. "There are some things that happen that cannot be explained. I would like to see this ghost myself. Maybe I'll do that when I get vacation time."

The elevator door opened and the two detectives stepped off.

"This way," Ed said as he looked at the signs on the wall. Ed and Nina found the room and knocked on the door. A thirty-something woman with brown eyes and black hair opened the door. Ed showed her his badge and ID and asked to talk to her. She was puzzled, but opened the door and let them into the room.

"What's your name, please, ma'am?," Ed asked.

"Lisa Staunton," the woman said. "Is there a reason that you're here?"

"You're sharing this room with a woman named Nikki Kempton, is that right?," Ed asked her.

"Yeah, she's my lifetime best friend," Lisa replied. She suddenly grew concerned. "Has something happened to her?"

"Miss Staunton, your friend was found in Central Park," Ed said. "She was beaten and robbed."

"Oh, my God," Lisa gasped. "Where is she now?"

"We'll take you to her in a moment," Ed told her. "Does she have any family we need to talk to?"

"No," Lisa said. "Her mother died last year and her father was absent since before she was born. She has no siblings at all."

"How long have you two been in the city?," Nina asked.

"Two days," Lisa said. "I don't know how long we're staying yet. We don't have definite plans at the moment."

"Are you tourists or are you here on business?," Nina asked.

"Neither, really," Lisa replied. "We're here for Nikki. She learned that her father wasn't dead and she wanted to see if she could locate him here. Her mother had always told her that her father died two months before she was both. But, last year, her mother died suddenly. Nikki was going through her things and found out that her mother had been receiving child-support payments from a bank account here. So, she wanted to see what she could learn."

"What has she learned?," Ed asked.

"Not a lot yet," Lisa said. "She's hitting a lot of roadblocks."

Ed took a deep breath. "Let's take you to see Nikki," he said after a moment. "She shouldn't be alone right now."

Lisa nodded. She picked up her room key and her purse. She went with the detectives to the car.

At the hospital, Nikki was lying on the bed and there were several areas of her body bandaged up. Her right eye was black and blue and her face was bruised.

"My God, Nikki," Lisa said as she sat by the bed. "You're not in pain, are you?"

"They're pumping so many drugs into me that I can barely feel anything at all," Nikki replied. "I'll recover, the docs said. I'll probably only be in the hospital for a few days. But, I still don't want to leave the city until I find what I'm looking for."

"Nikki, are you sure about that?," Lisa asked. "You look like hell."

"I'll still look like hell if we go home right away," Nikki replied.

Lisa laughed. "Whatever you want to do," she said. "You're my friend and I'll help you in any way possible."

Nikki nodded.

"These two detectives came and told me what happened," Lisa told her friend. "They were really nice. They brought me here to see you and they're looking for who did this. They said they'll be here later to talk to you about all this."

"They can come anytime," Nikki said. "I am more than willing to talk to them."

"They're homicide detectives, so I don't see why they are the ones to handle this," Lisa said. "You're not dead."

"Well, they take other cases, too," Nikki said. "Homicide is just their main specialty."

"I didn't know that," Lisa said.

"They're probably handling this because of how bad I was beaten, also," Nikki said. "After all, they could have killed me."

"They?," Lisa asked.

4


	2. Chapter 2

"That's right," Nikki told the detectives. "They." She sighed and moved a little to get comfortable. "They were late teens or early twenties. There were three of them and they ambushed me as I was walking near the dog park."

"Did they say anything?," Ed asked.

"They just encouraged each other," Nikki said. "They were feeding off of one another. They were laughing and having fun."

"Could you describe them to the sketch artist?," Nina asked.

"I got a good look at the one who seemed to be in charge," Nikki told them. "I got a great look at that one."

"We'll send him here later today," Ed promised. "What did they take from you?"

"My purse, cell-phone, and MP3 player," Nikki said. "I didn't have on any jewelry, except a cheap watch. I guess that was of no interest."

"We'll start to freeze your accounts, in case they try to use your credit cards," Ed said.

"What's your cell-phone number?," Nina asked. "We may able to locate them when they use it."

Nina wrote the number down.

Outside, Ed and Nina walked towards the car.

"So, she comes all the way from Arkansas to look for somebody she's never even seen," Ed said.

"Yeah, she's curious about her father," Nina said. "She was lied to all her life that her father was dead and she learns that he was not even her father and that he may be alive."

"I can't imagine what it must be like to feel so betrayed," Ed replied as they reached the car. "I grew up with both parents. I haven't seen anything at all that would suggest that they ever lied to me."

"My father cheated on my mother once," Nina admitted. "She was pregnant with me. It took me a long time to forgive him once I learned about that."

"I'm sorry, Nina," Ed replied.

"Don't be," Nina said. "He became a better husband and father after that. He remained faithful right up to the day he died."

"Which was only last year," Ed said. "How's your mother doing?"

"Better," Nina said. "She still misses him."

"I'm sure she does," Ed replied as he opened the car door.

Both detectives got into the car and Nina drove away.

At the precinct, the medical staff were working with the DNA sample that had been confirmed as Nikki's blood.

"We're looking for a match in any database," Rogers reminded her employees. "The detectives need to know who exactly she is and who she's looking for. That means, search all files that NYPD can access, including things like city employees and so on."

"Will do," one woman replied as she began the search on her computer. "It will take awhile, but I'll try to be as fast as possible."

"Let me know when you have the results, Helen," Rogers said. She left the room as Helen continued her search.

After a long time, the computer beeped. Helen gasped. "Oh, no, it can't be," she said.

"What is it?," another woman asked as she walked over and looked at the computer screen.

On the screen, a positive match was displayed and the name and photo was familiar.

"Nina Cassady?," the other woman asked. "Our Nina? Our Nina is this woman's sister? Are you sure?"

"Half," Helen said. "Same father, different mothers." Helen printed the page out in full color and took it to find Rogers.

Rogers was also stunned. "This will not be easy," Rogers said as she looked at the information. "Thank you, Helen."

Helen left.

Rogers met the detectives in a conference room.

"We did find something, detectives," she said, not sure how Nina was going to take all this. "We ran Nikki's blood sample and got a hit on a relative match." She looked at Nina and sighed. "Nina, this woman is your half-sister." She placed the papers on the table.

"No, it can't be," Nina said.

"You did say that your father cheated on your mother," Ed said as he read the information. "And, looking at her birthdate, she's five months younger than you."

Nina sighed heavily. "He never mentioned a child," she said.

"Nikki said that she received child-support from a bank account here and she couldn't get the name," Ed said. "I'll see if I can get a name on that account." He looked at Nina, who was still trying to figure out what she was hearing. "Nina, do you want to sit this out?," he asked her. "I can handle this alone."

Nina looked at Rogers. "Are you sure this is not a mistake?," she asked.

"My best people ran a dozen tests on that DNA, Nina," Rogers replied. "And DNA from every officer in the country is also in the database. I know you know that."

Nina nodded.

"Nina, none of this is your fault or Nikki's fault," Ed said.

"If my father did pay the support, I'll actually be proud of him," Nina said. "If she is indeed his child. It means that he didn't shirk his responsibility. He did what was right." She stood up and looked at her partner. "And I would never blame her," she said. "We have no say in how we come into this world."

"So, do you want to come with me?," Ed asked.

"Yeah," Nina said, sounding livelier. "I want to know."

"Then, we need to start with your father's name," Ed said.

"Steven Cassady," Nina said. "His name was Steven."

As Ed and Nina watched, the computer tech worked on his computer and read the screen.

"OK, Steven Walker Cassady," the tech read. "He had two bank account that I see here. One looks like a normal family account. I see things like gasoline, groceries, and so forth." He typed and read some more. "The second, I see only withdrawals marked as child support and deposits that just barely covered those payments. Deposits were made in cash."

"So we wouldn't find out," Nina said.

"Payments went to a woman named Shannon Kempton, who died last year," the tech went on. "She had one child, a daughter named Nikki Irene."

"We know Nikki," Ed said. "Thanks, man."

Ed and Nikki left the room and went out to the car. Ed drove to the hospital.

As the detectives walked into the room, Nikki was dressed in her own clothes and tying her shoes.

"Leaving so soon?," Ed asked.

"I feel fine," Nikki said. "I want out of here. I have that right to do that. I came here for a reason and I have things to do."

"We know why you're here, Nikki, and we need to talk to you about that," Ed said. He still had the printout in his hand. "We know who your father was."

"Was?," Nikki asked as she stood upright and looked at the two detectives. "What do you mean, was?"

"He died last year, about the same time as your mother," Ed explained. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

"Is there something else I have to know?," Nikki asked.

Ed looked at Nina. She shook her head and took the printout from him. "Nikki, your father was named Steven Cassady," Nina said.

"Cassady?," Nikki asked. "Like you spell it?"

"You're my sister," Nina said. She reached the printout towards a stunned Nikki. Nikki took the papers and read them.

"Are they sure?," Nikki asked. "I mean, did they really test it?"

"They ran a dozen tests on it," Nina said. "We found the bank account and it was in my father's full name. He had admitted a few years ago that he did have an affair just before I was born. You're five months younger than me."

Nikki read the printout. "Is that why we have similar names?," she asked. "I mean, did my mother know?"

"Maybe that's just a coincidence," Ed suggested. "Nikki is not an uncommon name."

"That's true," Nikki agreed. "Mom always said that I was not named after anyone specific. She just liked the name, she told me."

Nina sighed.

"I'm sorry," Nikki said. "I should never have come here. I've forced you to face something that you weren't ready to face yet. I made a big mistake."

"No, you didn't," Nina said. "It's neither your fault nor my fault that my father did what he did. I knew for a long time what he had done and the whole family forgave him for that. I do wish he had told us that there a child involved."

"Maybe he feared your reaction," Nikki said. "At least, you grew up with a father who loved his family. I grew up with a lie."

"Maybe your mother thought she was doing the right thing," Ed suggested.

"Lying is never right, Detective," Nikki said. She began to fight back tears, but they could see it. "When I found those papers, I felt like I had been hit by a train. Maybe that would even have felt better than how I was feeling at that time. All those years of talking to those damned photos, I was talking to a total stranger. I hoped now that I could once speak to a real person."

Nina shifted her weight to her other leg and crossed her arms, deep in thought. She stared at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with this woman. She felt somewhat betrayed by her father. Why hadn't he told his family the entire truth? They could have forgiven him. We all make mistakes.

Nikki noticed Nina's demeanor and started to cry a little. "I'm really sorry, Detective," she said. "I should never have come. I've forced you to face something that you weren't ready for." She grabbed her duffel bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Please, forgive me." She started to walk quickly out the door.

Nina sighed heavily. She looked at Ed.

"Don't let her go, Nina," he said. "Like it or not, she is your sister and she has no family at all anymore."

"Except me," Nina said, mostly to herself.

"It's not her fault that your father did what he did," Ed added. "She's as much a victim as you are."

"I know that," Nina said. "I don't blame her. I just wish my father had told us about her."

"He was afraid, I bet," Ed said. "Go stop her. Talk to her."

Nina thought for a few more seconds. She rushed out of the room and down the stairs. She found Nikki walking down the parking lot towards the bus stop.

"Nikki, wait," Nina called as she caught up. She gently grabbed Nikki's arm and stopped her. "Don't go. Stay in the city a few more days. Let me get to know my sister."

Nikki, who was no longer crying, stared in disbelief. "Are you sure about that?," she asked. "I upset you."

"No, you didn't do that," Nina said. "The fact that my father didn't tell us everything is what upset me. I can forgive him. None of this is your fault. I want to know my sister."

Nikki sighed. "Are you sure I don't cause you any pain, Detective?"

"Nina," Nina said. "You're my sister. Call me Nina."

Nikki took a deep breath. "Will you tell me about my father?," she asked. "I'd like to know about him."

"Let's do lunch tomorrow, Nikki," Nina said. "I'll answer all your questions that I possibly can."

Nikki nodded slowly. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way," she said. "I didn't put much thought into this trip."

"No," Nina said with a head shake. "I'm glad to know. Truth be told, I always wanted a sister. I used to pray that my parents would have one more after me, but two was all they wanted."

Nikki managed a smile. "So, you're not angry?," she asked.

"Not at you," Nina replied. "You're just as much a victim as I am."

"To some extent, maybe," Nikki said.

"Maybe you're more of a victim," Nina agreed. "You grew up without a father and you were lied to about him all your life. I am truly sorry for that. I am."

Nikki nodded.

"Why don't you stay in the city for awhile?," Nina asked.

"OK," Nikki agreed. "I can do that."

Nina smiled.

6


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we on her assailants?," Anita asked as she and the detectives were in her office. She had just heard from the two about the relationship between her detective and the victim.

"One of the women bled on Nikki," Ed replied. "We found that her DNA is in the system. She has a record of thefts, grand theft auto, and burglaries. Her name is Casey Carson and we're looking for her. The address on the arrest record is old and there's an elderly couple living in that apartment now. They have no relation to the Carsons."

"OK, see what you can find," Anita replied. She looked at Nina. "Will you be OK to keep working this case, Nina?"

"I'm fine," Nina assured.

"Just take it easy," Anita said. "If you're getting too close to this, back off and I'll assign Ed a temporary partner to finish this."

"I'll be fine," Nina assured again. "I promise."

Anita was reluctant, but allowed Nina to keep working the case.

Casey Carson stood on a corner near a busy playground with some of her friends. She was smoking and talking and laughing. She was dressed very provocative and had her hair down loose. Her friends were also all smoking and laughing.

"We need all five of those girls," Ed said into his radio. "Is everyone ready to go?"

Once Ed was sure everything was ago, Ed prepared to give the order. "Watch out for the children," he said. "Their safety is more important than this. Remember that." After a moment, he gave the order to go after the girls.

Police cars converged on the area. As expected, the five girls split up and started to run. Only one ran through the playground. She shoved a little boy down as three officers chased after her. Two officers continued after the girl as the third stopped to see that the child was not injured.

Within minutes, all five girls were rounded up and loaded into police cars.

"The boy OK?," Ed asked the playground officer.

"He's fine," the officer replied. "Just a few scratches and bruises."

"Good," Ed replied. "Let's get these girls to the two-seven."

In the interrogation room, Ed and Nina walked in and faced Casey as she sat at the table. She was handcuffed to the table. Ed set an item on the table.

"Recognize that?," he asked. "That's the necklace you took from the victim, Nikki Kempton. She identified it as belonging to her late mother and grandmother."

"She gave it to me," Casey lied.

"Why would somebody give you their priceless family heirloom?," Nina asked. "Especially since you're a stranger who she has never seen in her life?"

"How would you know that?," Casey asked.

"Nikki has only been in the city for a few days," Nina said. "She does not live here. She doesn't know anyone in this city at all."

"How do you know that I'm not from where she's from?," Casey asked.

"We checked you out," Ed replied. "You've lived in New York state all your life. Watkins Glen, Albany, and the city. You've only attended public schools in these cities. Big Brother is always watching."

Casey sighed.

"Tell us which friends helped you rob Nikki Kempton and we'll tell the DA that you cooperated," Ed said.

Casey stared at the necklace and sighed.

2


	4. Chapter 4

"So it's all over?," Nikki asked in her hotel room as the two detectives stood in front of her.

"She has a record a mile long," Ed said. "She had this when we arrested her." He handed Nikki the necklace.

Nikki smiled as the silver necklace found its way into her hand. "This was my main concern," she smiled. "It was a gift to my grandmother after my grandfather died at Pearl Harbor. She gave it to my mother when she turned twenty-one and then it came to me when I turned that age. Mom wanted it to stay in the family and I promised her that it would. I don't know why I wore it."

"It's all we found, Nikki," Ed said. "We didn't find anything else. I'm sorry."

"It's OK," Nikki replied. "I got this back."

Lisa looked at the necklace as Nikki handed it to her.

"Thank you, Detectives," Nikki said.

"Nikki, I'm off this Monday," Nina said. "Why don't we have lunch and talk about some things?"

"Sounds good," Nikki agreed. "Call me later." She wrote down her cell-phone number and handed it over. "I'll be here."

Nina nodded. "I know you will," she smiled.

1


	5. Chapter 5

In the lieutenants' office, Nina stood in front of the desk.

"I want to transfer to the warrants squad, loo," Nina was telling her as she set the homicide squad badge on the desk. "I need a regular routine that holds fewer surprises and more regular hours."

"Does this have to do with the senator's case?," Anita asked. "I know that one went badly for you, but you seemed to learn so much from it."

"I know I lost my temper with that man, but I regained it," Nina said as she remained standing. "I know it will affect my jacket in the future, but that's not my concern. You could have dismissed me then but you did not. So, I figure that it's all in the past." Nina sighed. "I really don't know if I can stay here," she continued. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and for Ed. And I enjoyed working with Ed. He's a great detective and a good man. I just want this transfer as soon as it's possible."

Anita picked up the badge. "Are you sure about this?," she asked.

"Absolutely," Nina replied.

"OK," Anita said with a nod. "If that's what you want, Nina. If you change your mind sometime, please come see me."

"I will," Nina promised. "Thanks for everything, loo."

As Nina left the office, Ed was at his desk. "Are you sure you want to leave, Nina?," he asked as he stood up.

"Yes, I'm sure, Ed," Nina replied. "Thanks for everything you did for me. You're a great detective and a good person. I wish you the best in everything."

Ed and Nina hugged.

"if you need anything, Nina, call me," Ed offered. "I still consider you a friend. I wish you the best, too."

Nina smiled and left the squad room slowly. Anita and Ed watched until they could no longer see her.

"She'll be fine, Ed," Anita said. "She's a strong woman."

"Don't I know that," Ed said. "She'll be the best at whatever she does. We haven't heard the last of her."

1


End file.
